Is Beyonce Eligible For The 2016 Grammys? The Answer Is More Complicated Than You Might Think

If you are holding your breath for another Beyoncé win at the 2016 Grammys, I have sad news for you all: You might want to not do that. As much as the Grammys and Beyoncé go hand-in-hand in all of our minds, when it comes to the 2016 award shows, it’s not looking good for Beyoncé to be nominated. Why? Well, before you blow a gasket over the news, just take a look at the eligibility requirements. In order for Miss Bey to be nominated, she would have had to release an album within the very specific window that the Grammys set out for all of the artists who are nominated. And considering Mrs. Carter hasn’t released an album since 2013, it’s not looking good that she will be nominated in any of the categories of this year’s Grammy Awards.

But before you get too disappointed, there might still be hope for Beyoncé yet.

Let’s look a little more closely at those eligibility requirements. According to the FAQs on the Grammy Awards website, in order for an album to be considered for an award at this year’s ceremony, it must have been released between the dates of October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015. If you’re surprised by that window, I was too. I assumed the only way you could qualify for a Grammy was to release something in the previous calendar year — but apparently the Grammys run on the calendar as your elementary school when it comes to cut-off dates.

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So, is there hope that Beyoncé made the cut-off date?

Maybe! Because even though Beyoncé’s last album was released in 2013 — and, therefore, out of the nomination window — a box set album was rereleased under a new name on November 24, 2014.

Hallelujah! There is a God and that God is Grammy.

I’m not entirely sure how rereleases fair in the world of the Grammy Awards, but considering the rerelease — Beyoncé: Platinum Edition — also included two newly recorded songs and four remixes that the previous album did not, I’m hoping that there’s a slight chance we might see Beyoncé’s name up on that nominations list.

Keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. Not that Bey needs it...